Confirmed: China Central Television has once again disclosed the official designation of the J-35A fighter jet as "Yunlong"!
Although CCTV Military had previously alluded to the J-35A’s official name as "Yunlong" during last September’s Air Force Open Day, using phrasing such as “integrated with Weilong, Qianlong, Menglong, and Yunlong,” this latest disclosure represents a formal and public confirmation. On the evening of September 19, during the broadcast of *National Defense Public Lecture* on CCTV, the program explicitly referred to the J-35A by its official designation—“Yunlong.”
The official designation “Yunlong” for the J-35A continues the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s naming tradition of the “Dragon” series, aligning with the designations of the J-20 (“Weilong”), J-10 (“Menglong”), and J-16 (“Qianlong”). Analysts suggest that “Yunlong” may derive from the phrase “Yun Cong Long” in the *Book of Changes*, symbolizing high maneuverability and stealth—qualities central to the aircraft’s operational profile.
This is notably apt given the J-35A’s exceptional stealth characteristics. Previous reports by CCTV stated that the J-35’s radar cross-section is smaller than the palm of a human hand. The average adult palm measures approximately 120 to 200 square centimeters; thus, a figure below this range would be roughly 100 square centimeters—or 0.01 square meters.
For context, the F-22 Raptor publicly claims a frontal radar cross-section of 0.01 square meters, while the F-35 is reported at 0.05 square meters. This suggests the J-35A’s stealth performance exceeds that of the F-35 and is comparable to—or potentially superior to—the F-22, placing it at the forefront of fifth-generation fighter technology. Hence, the “Yunlong” designation appears well-suited to the aircraft’s capabilities. (Though it inevitably evokes memories of the popular Chinese military drama *Liang Jian*.)
Additionally, during this year’s Navy Day celebrations, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation officially revealed the naval variant of the J-35 as “Lan Sha,” continuing the navy’s “Shark” series naming convention. Even the tail emblem of “Lan Sha” bears a striking resemblance to the “Fei Sha” emblem on the J-15. With this, both variants of the J-35 family now have officially confirmed designations.
Finally, how do you assess the official designations—“Yunlong” for the air force version and “Lan Sha” for the naval carrier-based variant? Are they not significantly more evocative than the NATO-designated names such as “Farmer,” “Fishpond,” or “Firefly”? Yet the pool of available “Dragon” and “Shark” monikers for future sixth-generation platforms appears increasingly limited.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876831313531081/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.